RA FOR ALL...THE ROAD SHOW!

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Tuesday, November 12, 2024

What I'm Reading: Strange Stones and Haunted Ecologies

The current issue of Booklist has 2 reviews by me. Details below, including my three words and bonus appeal information to help you book talk this title. 

First up, a fun satire of Lovecraft by two Horror veterans.

Strange Stones
By Edward Lee & Mary SanGiovanni
Jan. 2025. 140p. Clash, paper, $16.95  (9781960988416)
REVIEW. First published November 1, 2024 (Booklist).

Weird fiction scholar, Professor Everard is a regular on the Horror convention circuit giving lectures and sleeping women attendees. While promoting his latest book– proclaiming Lovecraft to be a hack- he angers a beautiful witch, both with his bad take and lecherousness. She casts a spell that sends Everard into Lovecraft's stories, forcing him to use his knowledge of the author’s work to get himself out of danger– without losing his life or his mind, difficult challenges for any Lovecraft protagonist. Presenting a modern retelling of Lovecraft, stripped of the original’s archaic language, with full acknowledgement of Lovecraft’s horrific world view, Lee (a critically acclaimed author of Extreme Horror) and SanGiovanni (an award winning novelist and Lovecraft scholar) have created an immersive, visceral, and existentially terrifying tale, injected with just the right amount of satire, a story that showcases what is enduring about Lovecraft’s work, inviting new readers in the process, much like in I Am Providence by Mamatas, The Ballad of Black Tom by LaValle, and Sister, Maiden, Monster by Snyder.

Three Words That Describe This Book: retelling, Cosmic Horror, satire


Further Appeal: Okay first and foremost this book is so entertaining. Even if you know nothing about Lovecraft it is a heavy satire with so much humor. Anyone can understand that Everard is a jerk who is caught in a nightmare. He needs to use his deep knowledge of Lovecraft to try to escape and he slowly learns to appreciate the author he argued in print was a hack.


If you don't know anything about Lovecraft, no problem. The story is good on its own. That is the sign of

good satire, when it makes sense to those in the know but it is still a good read even if the reader has no knowledge beyond what is in the book.


Also like the very best satire, love for the original that it is attacking shine through-- brightly


This is a short book, it is immersive and fun to read. Good ending as well. And the puzzle frame will have wide appeal-- he is trapped in Lovecraft's horrific world and needs to use the clues from the stories to get out.  


Since Lovecraft retellings, especially those that acknowledge the problematic nature of the author and his work, are in high demand, you should grab this one for your collections. The authors are both critically acclaimed and the small press-- Clash-- is available through your regular ordering channels.


Readalikes: The three above are a great starting point with the Mamatas as the closest readalike. Of course many might want to read more Lovecraft. For them I highly suggest The New Annotated HP Lovecraft: Beyond Arkham edited by Leslie Klinger.


If it is the heavy satire of a problematic classic which people like, I would HIGHLY suggest Dr. No by Percival Everett. That one is a satire of Ian Fleming's James Bond. I reviewed it here. It was the best audio book I listened to this year.


I will be offering this book and 1 more as a 2 books prize pack on the #HorrorForLibraries giveaway later this week. Stay tuned to the horror blog for details.


Next up is a collection by an author and librarian


Haunted Ecologies 

By Corey Farrenkopf

Feb. 2025. 188p. JournalStone, paper, $15.95  (9781685101404); e-book (9781685101411)
REVIEW. First published November 1, 2024 (Booklist).

Farrenkopf (Living in Cemeteries) crafts compelling, haunting, and thought-provoking stories with this collection of 15 tales. An immersive volume, each story firmly places the reader in the natural world– from malicious forests to soggy condos to the open ocean– allowing them to experience the setting alongside the fear. For instance, in “Growth/Decay,” a young woman finds happiness replacing dating with visits to the local woods, even as the forest asks for more in return. Or in “Dredging the Bay,” the mystery of a drowned body leads to Lovecraftian inspired ends. What is most striking about Farrenkopf’s work, however, is in how quickly he traps the reader in the nightmare, like in the three-page, Pushcart Prize nominated “Fences and Full Moons”– an emotionally devastating werewolf tale. Like the very best eco-horror, these stories are menacingly askew, offering readers a world that is just outside their reality, and yet, close enough that the terror hits close to home similarly to Annihilation by VanderMeer, What Moves the Dead by Kingfisher, and Breakable Things by Khaw.

Three Words That Describe This Book: menacing, immersive, eco-horror


Further Appeal: I reviewed Farrenkopf's debut novel, Living in Cemeteries, last Spring and I really liked it. I have also reviewed anthologies in which his stories have appeared. In fact, one of the stories here appealed in Tiny Nightmares, an anthology I reviewed in LJ back in 2020. I always enjoy his work and this collection is no different.


The natural world is key to every story but how he does it differently in each tale is interesting to watch unfold. They are haunting and menacing of course, but also thought provoking as well. The terror is right in your face because the settings are mundane-- places you know and can visualize on your own-- and with the horror right there, just under the surface, well, this collection will have you looking at the nature around you with a skeptical eye for weeks after finishing it.


This is more than cli-fi. In fact, there is very little of that. This is eco-horror in the truest sense. It is supernatural horror just under the surface of the natural world around us. Very unsettling. 


This is a great collection by another trusted small press-- JournalStone-- who also have distribution through your regular sources. No reason not to order it. Plus, Farrenkopf is a librarian in MA, so let's support one of our own here. 


Readalikes: Anything eco-horror works. Cli-fi not as much. Suggestions to start are above. Anything by VanderMeer as well. In fact, fans of VanderMeer should be given this collection ASAP.  


Also Eden by Tim Lebbon which I reviewed in Booklist in 2020.


Monday, November 11, 2024

Newly Updated Recharge Your Books Club Program with Slide Access

I am slowly trying to get back into the work groove after 10 days in Amsterdam and Barcelona. Not gonna lie, it was much easier to process my emotions over there. 

But I'm back now and I am sure current events will start to play into how we serve leisure readers and I know it will factor into my planned end of the year presentation with NoveList and my looking ahead to 2025 presentation offered though PCI, but until then, it is back to your regularly scheduled programming here on RA for All.

Later this week I am presenting Recharge Your Book Club for the first time in 2 years. It is completely updated so I thought I would share the new slides here and below.

For those who are unfamiliar with this presentation, here is the description:

Re-Charge Your Book Club:

Becky has been leading  book clubs for 25 years and has seen it all. In this program she will share her tips and tricks for success. All book groups go through their ups and downs, but re-energizing your group is not as hard as it may seem. Becky will walk you through how to confidently identify and utilize the best resources for leading a book discussion, pick books that will engender the best conversations, lead a more interactive discussion even with the most jaded of groups. Let her show you how to take control, shake things up, and rediscover why you started the group in the first place. 60-90mins

One of the things I bring to the discussion of book club leadership is the importance of managing the group dynamic. I have 24 years of experience leading multiple groups in many situations and while we talk about the nuts and bolts of having dynamic conversations, it is my serious discussion of how to best manage the group dynamics which are unique to my training program.

With this huge update to the program, I am hoping to bring it to the attention of more library systems. It is a great option to bring together library workers across a larger geographical area, to allow those who lead discussions-- many of whom are the only ones who do it at their library-- and give them the space to share experiences and build community. 

It is interesting, I get requests from individual library workers ALL OF THE TIME to offer this program. I send them the information and they connect with their CE people, but more often than not, this program doesn't get scheduled. The people in charge of training think it is too niche since it is only a person or 2 at each building who does book discussions. These same people often book my more general programs and not this one. 

However, as I discuss in this training program, book discussions are one of the most important programs you can offer at your library, and precisely because it is more of a 1 or 2 people per building program, the  needs of those leading them are often ignored. 

Let me know if you are interested in offering this talk to your system or entire state. Now that I have a full update, it is ready to go immediately for your library or system. I will make time throughout the end of the year to offer this if people need it or want it. 

While rates for my 60-90 minute programs now start at $500, I will offer this program for $400 if booked from now through the end of the year. That means booking it by the end of the year, to be presented anytime from now until September 2025. I know that some  budgets end on December 31 while others June 30, so this gives everyone time  to take advantage of extra money in this year's budget cycle OR get in on the next year's budget.

Either way, the slides are here (and below) for all to see and use for free. Lots of links and freshly updated information for all. 


Monday, November 4, 2024

RA for All Off All Week

For the first time ever, I have scheduled vacation for the week after October ends. After a month of nonstop appearances and double blog posting, it is time for me to rest. And, not having school children at home anymore makes this possible.

RA for All will be off all this week and will return on 11/11. 

This being election week in America, there will be a lot going on. Take care of yourself and your readers with reading distractions. Make some displays for books to allow people to escape the news. And use my tags and pages all int he right gutter to fine suggestions, resources, and display ideas.

Stay safe, take care of each other, be kind, suggest lots of books to their best reader, and see you all soon.

Friday, November 1, 2024

Halloween Hangover Meet Election Anxiety via Emily Hughes in Slate

With the election coming up next week, I know just what everyone needs-- a viewing of Texas Chain Saw Massacre!

Seriously. I am not kidding and Emily Hughes wrote this piece for Slate, "The Parable of the Chain Saw"-- a serious contemplation of this movie's release into the politically unstable and terrifying world 50 years ago and how similar to now that world seems. And so much more. Please give it a read and take care of yourselves during this stressful time.

If Texas Chain Saw Massacre is too much for you, give Hughes' book a read instead-- Horror For Weenies: Everything You Need to Know About the Films You're Too Scared to Watch.

Click on the image below or here to read the piece via Slate.

The Parable of the Chain Saw 

It’s the bleakest horror movie in American cinema. There’s never been a better time to watch it.
BY EMILY C. HUGHES


Thursday, October 31, 2024

Announcing the 2025 Summer Scares Spokesperson and Program Timeline

Happy Halloween everyone. And welcome to the annual day when we announce the next year's Summer Scares Spokesperson and schedule. Enjoy all the spooky excitement.





HWA ANNOUNCES SUMMER SCARES READING PROGRAM 2025 SPOKESPERSON AND TIMELINE

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), in partnership with Booklist, Book Riot, iREAD, and NoveList®, a division of EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO), is proud to announce the sixth annual Summer Scares, a reading program that provides libraries and schools with an annual list of recommended horror titles for adult, young adult (teen), and middle grade readers. It introduces readers and librarians to new authors and helps start conversations extending beyond the books from each list, promoting reading for years to come.

Summer Scares is proud to announce the 2025 spokesperson, #1 New York Times Bestselling author Kendare Blake:
"As a proud member of the club of people who read Stephen King too young, I am both honored and absolutely psyched to be this years' Summer Scares Spokesperson. Long ago, in elementary school, I had a beloved librarian with hair as black as night and teeth like Nosferatu. On dreary, wintry afternoons she would gather the children near and read to us from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, her eyes brightening with our every small whimper. She was, in short, THE BEST. I hope to meet many more librarians this year with her same, spooky spirit. So come along, folks of all ages, and let's read the scary stuff all summer long! It's not just for October anymore." 
Blake, along with a committee of six library workers, will select three recommended fiction titles in each reading level, totaling nine Summer Scares selections. The program aims to encourage a conversation at libraries worldwide about the horror genre across all age levels and ultimately attract more adults, teens, and children interested in reading. Official Summer Scares designated authors will also make themselves available to public and school libraries.

The committee’s final selections will be announced on February 14, 2025, Library Lover’s Day. Blake, along with some of the selected authors, will kick off Summer Scares at the 9th Annual HWA Librarians’ Day, Friday, June 13th, during StokerCon® 2025 at the Hilton Stamford Hotel in Stamford, CT. Tickets for this in-person event are available now: https://www.stokercon2025.com/librarian-s-day.

Additional content, including podcast appearances, free webinars with Booklist, and lists of suggested titles for further reading, will be made available by the committee and its partners beginning in March of 2025 and continuing through the Spring and Summer.

Of special note is the annual Summer Scares Programming Guide, courtesy of HWA Library Committee Co-Chair Konrad Stump and the Springfield-Greene County Library, which provides creative ideas to engage horror readers. Centered around the official Summer Scares titles, the guide offers tips and examples for readers’ advisory, book discussion guides, and sample programs, enabling librarians, even those who don’t read or especially enjoy the horror genre themselves, to connect their communities with Summer Scares.

To see past year’s Summer Scares titles, spokespeople, and programming guides, please visit the program archive: http://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/p/summer-scares-archive.html.

This year, Summer Scares is excited to announce a brand new sponsor– iREAD, an all ages Summer Reading Program developed by librarians for libraries. iREAD is used by libraries across the United States and around the world through their partnership with the US Department of Defense, bringing Summer Scares to our military families stationed across the globe.

iREAD Content and Development Manager Becca Boland shared her excitement:

“As a new sponsor of Summer Scares, iREAD is thrilled (and chilled) to support the Summer Scares program guide that will help libraries ‘unearth’ a love for reading. As part of this partnership, every summer you'll find one spine-tingling book for each age range and category that aligns with the iREAD theme. iREAD will also help to provide programming assistance for the guide ensuring everyone has a ‘fang-tastic’ time! Let’s conjure up some excitement and make this summer a real ‘scream’ with Summer Scares and iREAD."
Keep your eyes peeled for more updates coming soon from Booklist, Book Riot, iREAD and NoveList®, as well as at the HWA’s website: www.horror.org and RA for All Horror: http://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/p/summer-scares.html.

Questions? Reach out to HWA Library Committee Co-Chairs Becky Spratford and Konrad Stump via email: libraries@horror.org. 

Summer Scares 2025 Committee Members

Kendare Blake is the author of several novels and short stories, most of which you can find information about via the links above. Her work is sort of dark, always violent, and features passages describing food from when she writes while hungry. She was born in July (for those of you doing book reports) in Seoul, South Korea, but doesn’t speak a lick of Korean, as she was packed off at a very early age to her adoptive parents in the United States. That might be just an excuse, though, as she is pretty bad at learning foreign languages. She enjoys the work of Milan Kundera, Caitlin R Kiernan, Bret Easton Ellis, and Richard Linklater. She lives and writes in Gig Harbor, Washington, with her husband, their cat son Tyrion Cattister, red Doberman dog son Obi-Dog Kenobi, rottie mix dog daughter Agent Scully, and naked Sphynx cat son Armpit McGee.

Becky Spratford is a library consultant and the author of The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, third edition which was released in September of 2021. She reviews horror for Booklist Magazine, is the horror columnist for Library Journal and runs the Readers’ Advisory blog, RA for All: Horror.

Konrad Stump is a Local History Associate for the Springfield-Greene County (MO) Library, where he co-coordinates Springfield-Greene's popular “Oh, the Horror!” series, which attracts hundreds of patrons during October. He created the Donuts & Death horror book discussion group, featured in “Book Club Reboot: 71 Creative Twists” (ALA), and co-created the Summer Scares Programming Guide. Library workers who are interested in cultivating horror programming can contact him at konrads@thelibrary.org for free assistance.

Carolyn Ciesla is an academic library director in the Chicago suburbs. She has worked as a teen librarian and reference librarian, and has reviewed horror titles for Booklist Magazine. She’s currently teaching horror to first-year college students. You can find her all over the internet as @papersquared.

Kelly Jensen is an editor at Book Riot, the largest independent book website in North America. She covers all things young adult literature and has written about censorship for nearly ten years. She is the author of three critically-acclaimed and award-winning anthologies for young adults on the topics of feminism, mental health, and the body. She was named a person of the year in 2022 by Publishers Weekly and a Chicagoan of the year in 2022 by the Chicago Tribune for her anti-censorship work. She has also earned commendation from the American Association of School Librarians for her censorship coverage. Prior to her work at Book Riot, she was a public librarian for children, teens, and adults in several libraries in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. She is currently enrolled in a clinical mental health counseling master's program to bolster her work with mental health.

Julia Smith joined the Books for Youth team at Booklist in 2015, where she is now a senior editor. Her love of middle-grade literature and all things unsettling and strange draws her to creepy children's stories. You can follow her at @JuliaKate32 on Twitter.

Yaika Sabat (MLS) comes from a background in public libraries of various sizes. She now works at NoveList as the Manager of Reader Services, where she trains library staff nationwide on readers’ advisory, creates genre-focused content, and works on reader-focused products and services. As a Horror Writers Association’s Library Advisory Council member, she works to help librarians understand and embrace the horror genre. Her other passions include writing, graphic novels, film (the scarier, the better), and folklore.

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Rebecca Yarros Talking About Romantasy via NPR Book of the Day

We all know that Rebecca Yarros is one of our most popular authors at the library. During the National Book Festival she sat down with Emily Kwong from NPR for an interview. 

19 minutes of this longer conversation was posted as part of the NPR's Book of the Day Podcast. You can listen to it here. 

This specific audio is a MUST listen. To hear Yarros talk about the appeal of her books and the genre blend that she helped make its own genre juggernaut is fascinating and necessary.

But I also wanted to use this opportunity to let you know how much I encourage people to subscribe to NPR's Book of the Day podcast. From the landing page:

In need of a good read? Or just want to keep up with the books everyone's talking about? NPR's Book of the Day gives you today's very best writing in a snackable, skimmable, pocket-sized podcast. Whether you're looking to engage with the big questions of our times – or temporarily escape from them – we've got an author who will speak to you, all genres, mood and writing styles included. Catch today's great books in 15 minutes or less.

 Notice I said subscribe. Not listen. I subscribe to NPR's Book of the Day podcast mostly to see what books they are highlighting. I see it in my feed and I know it is a book important enough to make sure I know about it. This podcast takes book conversations from across all of their shows and plops them in the feed. So you can catch discussions and books you might have missed otherwise.

At least where I live, the NPR audience and the public library users have a huge overlap. Back when I started at the turn of the Century, people would come in all the time to ask for a book they heard about. They couldn't remember much, but we quickly learned that there was a VERY good chance they heard about it on NPR. So we started asking directly, did they hear about in on the radio? What time were you in the car? And then we'd try to track down which show it was on and figure it out from there.

This was early 2000s. Some of the bigger shows (like Fresh Air) had webpages with their guests listed, but some of the local shows did not. We often called WBEZ to ask what books were mentioned on a show at a certain time. They would help. They got used to us calling and I like to think we helped them get that info on a webpage sooner.

Back to the subscribing. I do listen to many of the episodes, but you don't need to. Seeing the book and the description is often enough to use it as a resource. 

I hope you consider subscribing to stay in the know as to what books NPR wants its listners to know about. It will help you anticipate demand and allow you to prepare readalikes and displays as well. 

But right now, go listen to Rebecca Yarros specifically. Everyone who works at a public library in America has something to learn from this conversation.

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Attack of the Best Lists 2024: Publishers Weekly

This post is part of my year end "Attack of the Best Lists" coverage. To see every post in my "Attack of the Best Lists 2024" coverage [and more backlist best of the year options] you can click here.

Once the Publishers Weekly best books portal goes live it is on! They are going to come fast and furious from here on at. But not only is PW's of the first best lists of the year, but it is arguable the most useful of the bunch. 





Look at those screen shots [above]. From the Best Books of 2024 page on PW you can access by all ages and genres as well as single click access going back to 2010! And it includes their Summer Reads picks and overall BEST titles all in one place

This inclusion of Summer Reads access is key because often, those books are better general reads options but they don't always make the year end lists. This allows the PW Best Book portal to be a one stop shop for great reads.

Nowhere will you find a resource that puts this many "sure bet" options in front of you so easily. There are literally hundreds of titles here, at your fingertips, both old and new, that you can confidently suggest to readers immediately. And for so many readers. Readers who read across all age levels [down to infants] and in just about every genre. 

And, since every title is annotated, you also have a book talk [or annotation] for each title right there. You don't have to have read the book to suggest it. [Reminder: Use the Words of Others.]

I could keep gushing about how much I love this resource but I would rather you played around with it yourself.

Click through, check out the 2024 titles, but also look back at older titles, read the annotations, check genres you love and those you don't normally read, especially those you don't normally read because you will learn much about the current state of that genre [trends, popular authors] this year and going back a few years. You can both get access to some great sure bet suggestions AND brush up on your genre knowledge all in one place.

Spend some time really getting to know this resource. And then use it-- all of it including past years and both summer and year end lists-- to make your own lists for your readers. Make displays [digital displays too], make suggested reading lists by genre, by year, by whatever you want. Just embrace the wealth of information available to you with one click and help readers in ways they would not think to help themselves.

Go check out this database of "sure bet" reads for any season, and keep it bookmarked for use anytime you need a solid suggestion [especially for those hard to satisfy readers].

And keep an eye out here on the blog for more "Attack of the Best Lists" posts coming as they are announced. And they will be announced at a fast clip from today onward until the end of the year.

Monday, October 28, 2024

Registration is Open Now for StokerCon Librarians' Day: Friday, June 13, 2025 in Stamford, CT

This is a cross post with RA for All: Horror as part of 31 Days of Horror.

As we approach the end of our 31 days of Horror together I wanted to remind you that Horror Season is all year long. And just because it is no longer October, that does not mean we stop talking about your Horror readers. 

On Thursday, I will be hosting the official start of Summer Scares 2025 with our press release of the spokesperson and details on the timeline for the program.

But today, I am going to get you excited for something else. This year's Librarians' Day, on Friday, June 13, 2025 in Stamford, CT. It is a full day of continuing education and learning for all library workers for only $60.

Below and at this link you can see the schedule and sign up right now. We are expecting a big crowd as the location is close enough for hundreds of libraries to attend.

If you know you will have 5 or more people to register, email me at libraries@horror.org so we can get you a group discount as well.

Real talk time-- in a few days you are going to miss this daily dose of Horror talk. You can help you, help yourself and limit your own withdrawal by registering today for Librarians' Day. Then you will have something to look forward to.

Click here for the full schedule on the StokerCon website or see below.



Librarians’ Day Schedule for StokerCon 2025, Stamford, CT
 
Librarians’ Day
Friday June 13, 2025
8am-4pm
Librarians’ Day only ticket - $60


Please note: Librarians’ Day is open to all StokerCon ticket holders. If you already have a regular ticket, we invite you to attend any of our programming at no extra cost.  

ABOUT: On the Friday of StokerCon, the Horror Writers Association (HWA) offers "Librarians' Day" -- a full day of horror-focused continuing education programming for all library workers. Topics include readers' advisory, programming featuring the conference's guest authors on timely topics, information on how you can work with the HWA, and more. Below you'll find this year's special program for the on-site conference. Librarians' Day ticket holders will have access to the dealer's room and other areas of the full conference throughout the day. ​

SCHEDULE

8 -8:25 a.m.: Welcome to Librarians’ Day!: Meet the Librarians’ Day team and fellow librarians from across the country while enjoying coffee and bites courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh Library System.

8:30-9:20 am: Brains! Brains! Brainstorming Ways to Engage Your Community, Moderated by Jocelyn Codner and Meghan Bouffard: Join HWA Library Advisory Council members in small group discussions to meet some of your fellow librarians, share experiences, and gather ideas for how to engage your community with the horror community.

9:30-10:20 am: How to Feature Horror at Your Library, Moderated by Corey Farrenkopf: Hear librarians from across the country share their experiences featuring horror at their libraries, from book discussions to writing groups to author events and more.

10:30-11:20 am: Buzzing About Horror Books, Moderated by Emily Vinci: Join librarians and book reviewers as they share the buzz about a slew of exciting new and upcoming horror titles. Come for the booktalks; stay for the free books and swag!

11:30 am-1 pm: Lunch Break: Explore Stamford and enjoy a nearby restaurant.

1-1:50 pm: What Horror Means to Me, Moderated by Lila Denning: Join StokerCon 2025’s Guests of Honor for a lively discussion about why readers of all ages enjoy a good scare, from fictional frights to all-too-true terrors. Featuring Scott Edelman, Paula Guran, Adam Nevill, Joyce Carol Oates, Gaby Triana, and Tim Waggoner.

2-2:50 pm: This Book is Haunted: cursed objects and texts in film and literature, Moderated by Ben Rubin. An old tome with archaic writing, an unmarked VHS, a doll with an unsettling gaze, a camera through which the viewfinder shows a reality that seems just a bit off…Cursed objects provide not only an intriguing plot device but their uncanny realism can also make the reader or viewer feel complicit in the haunting. Join us as we explore the popularity of cursed objects and media and why these stories are essential for library shelves. Featuring Clay McLeod Chapman, Adam Nevill, and Emily Vinci with more panelists to be announced soon!

3-3:50 pm: Summer Scares: A Thrilling Summer Reading Program, Moderated by Yaika Sabat: Join Summer Scares current and past selected authors, spokespeople, and partners to learn more about the HWA’s popular summer reading program, how to get involved, and how to use Summer Scares resources to better serve your patrons. Stay tuned for our full list of panelists! ​ ​

I hope to see you there on Friday the 13th, this coming June.

Friday, October 25, 2024

Current Issue of Booklist is Spotlight on the Arts and Congratulations Donna Seaman

The current issue of Booklist has a lot of great resources for you to use to help all types of readers. 

Click here to access the Table of Contents or see below for some bonus information.

Please note the most important book in the issue is on the cover:

On the Cover
River Styx 2, by Donna Seaman, from River of Books: A Life in Reading, by Donna Seaman, published by Ode Books, and featured in Books by Booklist Authors.

It is a book about books and reading by the great Donna Seaman, now promoted to Booklist's Editor in Chief with this issue as well. Susan Maguire has a review here and at that link above, but spoiler alert, this is a great book that your readers will love. It also makes an excellent holiday gift for the readers in your lives. 

Besides the review of her book, you can also read The Letter from the Publisher (George Kendall) in the print magazine talking all about Seaman's promotion.  

Spotlight on the Arts

Top 10 Art Books: 2024

Essentials: Band Together, Rock ‘n’ Roll (requires login)

Read-alikes: Karen Valby’s The Swans of Harlem (books for all ages about dancers of color)

Ears on the Arts (Ears on the Arts is the first in a series of new audio features pairing reviews of new audio titles with listen-alike audiobooks suggestions that highlight the appeal of the titles and the connections among them. It is for all ages of readers)

Features

Books by Booklist Authors: Donna Seaman’s River of Books

High-Demand Read-alikes: Fathers in Crime

Manga Essentials: Art Manga

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Resource Alert: Great Group Reads Released By the Women's National Book Association

The 2024 "Great Group Reads" list was just released by the Women's National Book Association. What is this list and group? From their site:

What is Great Group Reads?

Great Group Reads (GGR) is part of the National Reading Group Month initiative of the Women’s National Book Association. Since its creation in 2009, Great Group Reads has become a highly regarded and anticipated resource for reading groups, individual facilitators, educators, bookstores, and libraries to recommend books.

They have lists going back to 2009 right on the same page. Very easy access. 

Again, the most current 2024 list is right here.

Of course you should use this resource to help book clubs-- whether they are your library's groups our those in your community-- but, these lists are a GREAT resource for a few reasons:

  1. Sure Bet Suggestions: Books that make the cut to be on a list like this, have already been put through the wringer. They are tested as discussable and agreed upon by a larger audience. This means you should have this link on hand, always because these are perfect "sure bets." When you mind goes blank and you need a suggestion quickly, any of the lists here are good. And they have the publisher's description there for you as well. 
  2. Displays: These lists offer multiple display options. You can literally use these same books and change the name of the display. Display topics can be as literal as "Great Group Reads," "Forgotten Favorites" (especially if you use the older lists), "Sure Bets," or "Books Worth Talking About," for example.
  3. Backlist: I already hinted at this, but the backlist of titles is great and deep. I scanned back to the oldest lists and there are some awesome suggestions here. Most you still have as well. 
  4. Interactivity Options: Just asking staff and patrons a question like "What is your best pick for a group read," or "What is a book worth talking about?" I prefer the second question because it is more vague and will get answers from people who do not participate in book discussion groups. Reminder-- my explanation on how to be more interactive and turn your conversation starter questions into display is here.
I hope you can see why you should check out the 2024 Great Group Reads and the database of past lists, even if you do not have anything to do with book discussion groups.